8.21.2009

No, I haven't forgotten the Friday Afternoon Kitty. Actually I had something else I was going to post, but Friend Of Dog Blog Dakota says I should put this up. "It's three minutes long but totally worth it," he says.

One warning, since we've been posting about drugs all day: whatever you do, do NOT watch this video while smoking pot. Because while it's kind of amusing straight, it would be LETHALLY HILARIOUS to watch stoned.

So DO NOT walk away from your computer right now, roll a fat one, and come back and puff away to this reel of dumb-cat comedy, eight or nine times in a row. That WOULD NOT BE SAFE. You might LAUGH YOURSELF INTO A COMA.

I care about the well being of Dog Blog readers. I don't want you hurt because something was too funny when you were stoned.

Speaking of drugs, there have been a couple other interesting stories this week that we haven't blogged about.

ON MONDAY, there were media reports all over the place whooping about a discovery by the American Chemical Society that paper money in up to 90 per cent of big U.S. cities is contaminated with cocaine.

The claim sounds like an urban legend but apparently it's true. But what does it mean?

On the New Scientist magazine blog Short Sharp Science, reporter Ewen Callaway points out that coked-up bills didn't neccessarily get that way by being rolled into snort tubes. For example, the bills could have easily picked up traces of coke just from spending time in an ATM with other bills that had come into contact with the illegal narcotic.

The important thing is, New Yorkers don't have to worry about most of the bills in their wallets having been inserted into someone's gross nostril quite yet.

THEN, ON WEDNESDAY, the Guardian had a great article about a cocaine "bar" in Bolivia. It's not legal but apparently all the right officials have been properly bribed so it seems to be flourishing. I recommend the article--in addition to being a good piece about a crazy place, there's a good bit of ranting about the war on drugs. Check it out; it'll help you kill 10 minutes of your pre-weekend work afternoon.

It's a start anyway. Hopefully, the new law(RantRave) passed by Mexico legalizing small amounts of drugs for personal use will prompt Canada and the U.S. to rethink their draconian policies. Like Prohibition in the 20s, where the manufacture and sale of alcohol was outlawed, the so-called War on Drugs has been a dismal failure. Use does not automatically translate into abuse, especially with softer drugs. Government regulation is the answer. Do that, and suddenly a whole bunch of problems from police corruption to drug cartel violence to petty charges against otherwise law-abiding citizens disappear.

Looks like a big win for campaigners protesting the much maligned "NAFTA Plus" project. And considering this could never have happened under the U.S. administration in place a year ago, it's also a refreshing sign that the new boss is not the same as the old boss.

Miracles can happen, I suppose, but the odds of the 4-3 Riders emerging victorious in their game against the 6-1 Alouettes in Montreal tonight have to be considered long. While the Riders have shown flashes of brilliance, they've been plagued by inconsistency. They're tied for the lead in turnovers forced with Montreal, for example, with 27, but whereas Montreal has only turned the ball over 12 times, the Riders have done so a whopping 26 times. Another worry is the Riders' tendancy to implode in the third quarter of games, where they've been outscored something like 71-6. In their July 18 game against Montreal at Mosaic Stadium, the Riders trailed 14-8 at half-time, and ultimately ended up losing 43-10. If the Riders can find a way to run the ball and sustain some drives, keeping Anthony Calvillo and the potent Montreal offense off the field, they might have a chance. But considering that the forecast calls for it to be hot and humid in Montreal tonight, and the fact that the Riders rarely play well there, it seems a pretty safe bet that the Riders will head into the bye week at .500.

1 RATS! Swift Current is under attack by rats. Hordes of rats. People, this is why we need more snakes. Snakes kick rat ass. Well they can't actually kick because they don't have legs but you get the idea. (Leader-Post)

3 ABANDONED CANADIAN SUES CANADA She's a Canadian citizen who was marooned in Kenya and jailed for a week and, and this is the key problem, our government sat on its hands. Here's rooting for a big settlement. (Toronto Star)

6 OBAMA IS FAILING Support for the U.S. president is dropping. Gee, I wonder why. Maybe because Barack Obama is starting to look like an out-of-touch, spineless coward more concerned about pleasing his (insane) political enemies than working for his supporters? (Washington Post) Like seriously, Sarah Palin actually says he's plotting to set up "death panels" for disabled children and he doesn't rip the crazy, lying bitch a new asshole and point out that's actually the way it works now? (Salon) Radical anarchists show up at his public events armed to the teeth and he doesn't shit-can their asses to Guantanamo? (YouTube) What a sissy douche Obama is becoming. Of course sane Americans are disappointed.